Our Real Estate Blog

Buying a home is an extensive process that comes with a bit of a learning curve. For first time buyers, this process involves making mistakes and learning from them.

While we can never be 100% sure of our home buying decisions, there is a way to increase your chances of making the best choices when it comes to buying and maintaining your first home.

In today’s post, we’re going to do just that. We’ll take a look at some of the biggest things that homeowners wish they knew before buying their first house.

1. Forgetting to research the neighborhood

It’s easy to become so enamored with your dream home that you barely look beyond its fence. However, the neighborhood your home is in can have a huge effect on your daily life. Having local parks, safe sidewalks to walk on, and road infrastructure that doesn’t drive you crazy on your daily commute are all important aspects of choosing the right home.

2. Getting pressured into making a decision

Many times, a seller will want to portray their home as being highly sought after to encourage higher and more frequent offers. Similarly, you may find that your own family has time constraints and want to make a quick decision to buy a home.

It’s when we’re under pressure that we can make choices that we aren’t happy with in the long run. So, in these situations, make sure you don’t make any snap judgments on a home. If it seems like you’re being pressured into making a decision without enough time to consider all of the possibilities, there’s a good chance you should pass on this opportunity.

3. Forgetting that you might someday have to sell this home

Sometimes homes can be difficult to sell due to things like their location and surroundings. For instance, a home that is remote or one that is located in low-scoring school districts may not matter to you if you don’t plan on having children. But, they likely will be important to a lot of your potential buyers when it comes time to sell the home.

This lesson also holds true for what you do with your home once you buy it. Making renovations or design choices that won’t appeal to the average buyer can make your home more difficult to sell and harder to get top dollar for.

4. Didn’t consider all financing options

There are several steps and several options when it comes to financing a home. Not only are the several mortgage lenders to choose from, but there are also many different types of loans available.

While there may not be one “right” decision when it comes to financing your home, it’s a good idea to do your homework and browse carefully all of the lenders and mortgage types.

Consider ways to increase your credit score or save for a higher down payment before buying if possible, so that you can secure the lowest interest rate possible.

You’ve finalized the paperwork moved the last box and may have even kicked up your feet to relax. It’s time to celebrate owning your very own home. Homeownership is a major milestone after all and you deserve to bask in the pride of this accomplishment by throwing a housewarming party. Share your new home and kickoff memories to come with your favorite people.

Start planning by tallying the number of guests on your list that will comfortably, and safely, fit into the amount of space your home has. You also want to keep your budget in mind as you finalize the number of guests for your party.

The best time to throw a housewarming party is two to three weeks after you’ve moved and have begun to settle in. Most of your boxes are probably unpacked by this point and you have an idea of how you’d like everything to be set up.

Send out invites two weeks ahead of time to give everyone enough time to arrange their schedules plan for your party. This is also a good time to begin planning food and drinks. You’ll want to create a cohesive spread of food or if your party is at a mealtime plan a full dinner. Make calls to get pricing for any catering you may want to have done or start gathering recipes.

You’ll want to have every room of your home ready for showing the day of the party as guests will want to see the full house. Do your best to make each room presentable and try to have everything unpacked and put away. Have a playlist of music to play for the party and buy some fresh cut flowers to put a finishing touch to each room.

Have your home ready for the influx of guests by stocking your bathroom with plenty of toilet paper, several fresh hand towels and a full bottle of hand soap. Have a place ready for guests to leave coats, bags, and shoes.

On the day of the party, try to greet every guest as they arrive. Offer them a drink, show them where refreshments are available and give directions to the bathroom. Offer tours of your home throughout the day/night in small groups so everyone has a chance to get the full viewing.

Signify the party is wrapping up by offering dessert and coffee. Thank all of your guests for coming as they depart. It is always a nice touch to send thank you notes to guests, especially to those who brought housewarming gifts.

Owning a home is a major accomplishment and one that should be celebrated! Housewarmings are a fun way to gather friends and family together and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

462 Lang Road,
Bath, NH 03740

Single-Family

$295,000

Price

4

Bedrooms

9

Rooms

2/1

Full/Half Baths

Short Driveway, Big Views! This classic gambrel style log home in the country offers a beautiful setting without a lot of hassle. Beautiful orchards, bustling pond, manageable lawn and long range views of our famous NH mountains. Open kitchen with vaulted ceilings, proper sitting room and formal dining room, as well as a breakfast nook. There is a front porch, a back porch, a screened porch, a solarium and a deck to suit your needs any time of day or year! Offering 3 bedrooms on the second floor, including a master with walk-in closet and en suite bath, as well as a first floor bedroom with nursery/closet or future bath if you choose. The laundry hookups are also on the first floor making this a manageable floor plan for those wishing for single level living. The heat source is hot water baseboard by oil, but you have the obligatory wood burning fireplace as well as a separate hookup for a stove of your choosing. The basement is typical; full and unfinished, however there is a workshop with direct access to the back yard, and storage under the deck. The 16 acre lot is beautiful having a pond, landscaped yard, and forest which offers refuge for the local wildlife and privacy for you. This country retreat is only minutes from the most necessary amenities: Shopping, Healthcare, Education & Recreation. Don't forget, Bath residents get school choice for both middle and high school aged students.

Town Info

As you get ready to add your house to the real estate market, you likely will consider high and low initial asking prices. However, it is important to remember that no two residences are exactly alike. And much in the same vein, the initial asking price for your home may vary from that of a similar residence based on your house's condition, age and other factors.

Ultimately, a diligent home seller will allocate the necessary time and resources to determine a competitive initial asking price for his or her residence. This seller will be able to establish an initial home asking price that hits the mark with buyers, and as a result, stir up plenty of interest in his or her house.

Determining the ideal initial home asking price may seem tough at first. Fortunately, we're here to help you set a competitive price for your residence, regardless of the current housing market's conditions.

Now, let's take a look at three tips to help you establish the ideal initial asking price for your residence.

1. Assess Your Home

The present condition of your house may have a major impact on its value. Thus, you should perform a home inspection before you list your house to identify any underlying problems and address such issues.

A home inspection is generally requested by a buyer after a seller accepts an offer on a residence. Conversely, a seller who wants to go above and beyond the call of duty may perform an inspection to take a proactive approach to home improvement projects. This approach may help a seller mitigate potential home problems before they are discovered later in the home selling process.

Thanks to a home inspection, a seller can establish home improvement priorities. Then, this seller can perform myriad home improvements and move closer to maximizing the value of his or her residence.

2. Evaluate the Housing Market

Operating in a seller's market is far different from selling a house in a buyer's market. If you review the real estate market, you can gain the insights you need to establish a competitive price for your home.

Take a look at the prices of houses in your area that are similar to your own residence. This information will enable you to understand the price range for comparable houses in your city or town.

Also, evaluate the prices of recently sold residences in your area. This housing sector data will allow you to determine whether you are operating in a buyer's or seller's market.

3. Collaborate with a Real Estate Agent

A real estate agent knows the ins and outs of selling a home in any housing market. He or she can offer a wide assortment of housing market data. Perhaps most important, a real estate agent will make it simple for you to establish a competitive price for your residence and reap the benefits of a fast, profitable home selling experience.

Want to add your house to the real estate market? Use the aforementioned tips, and you should have no trouble setting a competitive initial asking price for your house.

Create a flower garden you love coming home to after a long day at work that is bursting with color.

Sweet peas are a stunning annual that quite literally descends from the pea plant! They do best with the sun on their petal and shade protecting their roots so do well with a shorter plant nestled in front of them. The April in Paris variety offers yellow and purple tinted petals while the aptly named America boasts red and white stripes.

Snow Princess is sweet but tough - incredibly resistant to drought and heat. These blooms will sprawl out with its tiny white flowers making a perfect base for brighter colors to pop. It also makes for a stunning cascading plant when potted. Put this beauty in full sunlight with occasional shade.

Cinderella stock is another annual to add to your wish list. Unlike the snow princess, it prefers the cooler temps just before full summer heat hits. But it will thrive in full sunlight. You can find varieties in pink, blue, red and white so whatever your colorway, these guys are sure to fit right in.

Blue Cornflower is a distinctive color that’s found its way of naming everything from crayons to nail polish shades. This annual is easy to grow and so a great starter for beginners. A fairly long stem length, cornflowers can be placed towards the back of your garden as not to shade out shorter blooms.

Nasturtium adds warmth to your garden with shades of red, orange and yellow. Not only are these easy to grow but they’re edible! Perfect for the culinarily adventurous and beginners alike. There are so easy to grow, in fact, that they can grow perfectly happy in less nutrient-rich soils.

Begonia comes in every shade and size you could possibly need. They’re a step up from a true beginner plant in that they will need at least a little attention. However, these will look beautiful in a container garden or in a setting they are allowed to sprawl.

Marigold Signets add a pop of cheery warmth to your colorful garden. With stunning fully rounded “globe” of flowers these will happily fill up your garden. The “gem” hybrids are the most popular variety in shades of lemon, orange, red, and tangerine. These are another edible bloom with a slight lemony flavor to add to a dish.

Pansies are perhaps the most well-known for the bright and varied color palette. They come in varieties that offer blooms with a single color or petals in alternating colors. Like sweet peas, they prefer sun but the cooler temps of the spring and fall. These are a ground cover plant that also does well (and are incredibly popular) in container gardens.